Aims and Objectives:At present, women are the target clients of tobacco companies. Female smokers using combined oral contraceptives are at higher risk of coronary heart disease and peripheral vascular disease than non-smokers. The aim of this study was to determine smoking status and oral contraceptive use in women in a rural area of the province of Aydın.

Methods:This descriptive study was performed in a rural area of Aydın. It was performed in 120 women aged 20-60 years, living in a village and accepting to participate. Data were gathered with a questionnaire prepared by the researchers and composed of questions about socio-demographic features including age, gender, education, marital status and income and presence of a health problem, height, weight, smoking status and use of contraceptives.

Results:The mean age of the women was 34.83±11.65 years. Of all the women, 30,8% were primary school graduates, 64,8% were married, 29,2% had a child, 66,4% had a sufficient income, 65,6% did not have a check-up, 30,3% had a chronic disease and 33,6% were smokers. Twenty-eight-point two percent of the women had a high body mass index; i.e. overweight. Eleven-point five percent and 11.5% of the women were using an IUD and oral contraceptives respectively. Sixty-nine percent of the women were not using any contraceptives. Of all the women using oral contraceptives, 57,1% were smokers, 7,1% were obese, 7.1% were aged over 35 years and 21.4% had a chronic disease (hypertension and diabetes).

Conclusions:About one third of the women in the rural area where the study was performed were smokers and the incidence of smoking was higher among the women using oral contraceptives. It is important that women in rural areas should be offered counseling so that they can stop smoking. Individual characteristics should be taken into account in counseling for contraceptives.